The Malfoys and Me

6. Conversion at Breakfast

When you wake in the morning you forget where you are for a moment. This isn't your bed! Where is your turtle in a tank beside your bed? Where are Jakk's friendly barks? And then you remember where you are, and your face breaks out into a grin. I'm at Hogwarts! You mentally squeal, leaping out of bed and practically tearing into your dresser drawer for your robes.

The other girls around you get up slowly, yawning and muttering as if unenthused about the day ahead of them. You shove on your robes and run to the bathroom to brush your teeth and use the loo before breakfast and your first classes.

When you come out, you see a sheet of paper lying on your bed. You pick it up, and see that it's a list of your classes. You quickly scan it to see if you and your American friend will be in any classes together. Yes! You see that first year Slytherin and Hufflepuff students have charms, astronomy, history of magic, and transfiguration together! The list of classes is a bit overwhelming, so you shove the paper into your pocket, pick your wand up off the nightstand, and run down the stairs into the cosy cave-like common room below.

The room is packed when you enter, and you see that a prefect is by the fake wall that serves as entrance to the common room. He is looking at a list of names and calling them out. You realise that you are going up to breakfast in shifts; older students first, then younger ones. You wait impatiently, although it seems that 8th through 6th years have already gone.

Finally, the crowd thins enough for you to see Scorpius. You wave to him, and he smiles a bit and gives a timid wave back.

"First years," the prefect says in a tired voice, and begins listing off the names starting with the girls. Your name is called first, and you step up to the door like you saw the other people do. When Scorpius' name is called everyone turns to look at him and you can see that he's embarrassed. When everyone's gathered by the door, the prefect sighs with relief and opens the door.

You all file up the stairs and into the great hall for breakfast. Breakfast is great; better than at home, but you can't help noticing Hyacinth Parkinson's eyes boring into you during the meal. What's eating her? you wonder. After breakfast the same prefect as before stands up, and leads all the first years to their classes. You locate Scorpius in the throng and covertly slip beside him. He notices you standing beside him and jumps a little.

"Hey," you say, nudging his arm playfully. "You alright? You got a lot of attention in the common room." Scorpius' grey-blue orbs cloud over slightly and his shoulders hunch.

"I just want to be like everybody else," he says suddenly and quietly, "but I can't."

"Why?" you ask, your voice full of concern.

"Because, Y/n," he says, looking at you sadly. "I'm a Malfoy; everyone either hates me, or wants to be me. And the people who want to be me are..." he shudders. "I just... wish people saw me as something other than my father's son."

"I do," you say, grabbing his long-fingered hand impulsively. "I see you for yourself. I didn't even know that Malfoy was a special name!" He looks down at you in surprise.

"You—you hadn't heard of the Malfoys before you met me? Not about my father and... and grandfather?"

"No," you say, meeting his gaze. His face is hard to read for a second, and then it splits into the widest, most genuine grin you have ever seen him give. Your heart skips a beat as he says,

"Blimey, that's the best thing I've heard in my entire life!" his eyes are shining into yours, and you feel like you have to look away, and you do, a small blush covering your cheek. Scorpius looks down too, and notices that you're holding his hand for the first time. He gives a small, "oh," and you quickly drop his hand and look even further away, your entire face beet-red.

The silence is becoming unbearably awkward when the prefect says, "Here we are. Your first class; Transfiguration."

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You flump onto a plush green squashy-chair, exhausted. The classes of the day really took it out of you, and you're glad to be back in your cosy, dark common room again.

Transfiguration hadn't been that bad (you had sat next to Micayla—who insisted you call her Cayla) and neither was charms. Astronomy had been practically fun, and potions... well, potions was another matter. Hyacinth had snuck something into your brew to make it go wrong. You wrinkle your nose at the memory.

The rest of your classes had also gone well that day except History of Magic, which was so dull you could feel your brain slowly dying as the lesson progressed.

You look up as Scorpius enters the common room, flanked by two boys. You bristle before seeing that he's actually sort of smiling. You relax. Maybe he's been able to make friends, after all. He seems to sense your eyes on him, and looks at you. He smiles, and raises a hand in greeting. You return the gesture and he heads into his dorms. You smile and settle back into your chair, letting your gaze rest on the fire before you.

Yes, you decide, this has been a very good day.